Department for Transport

Department for Transport: Redundancy Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much has been paid to (a) men and (b) women who left his Department under exit schemes since 31 March 2016.

Mr John Hayes: Details of the number, type, compensation levels and cost of exits from the Department for Transport are routinely published in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts.

Aviation: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what contingency plans the Government plans to adopt in the event that no replacement for the single aviation market and open skies agreement is available when the UK leaves the EU.

Mr John Hayes: We want our future relationship with the EU to be based on mutual economic and security interests. To which end, it will be in the interests of all parties to maintain closely integrated aviation markets. The opening up of access to air services helps to deliver connectivity, choice and value for money that benefits consumers and businesses both here and abroad. The Government continues to work closely with the aviation sector to ensure this industry continues to be a major success story for the British economy. As well as seeking suitable aviation arrangements with the EU, the Department for Transport is also working closely with the aviation community to ensure that this global industry continues to be a major success.

Taxis

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) officials, (b) other staff and (c) private contractors in his Department are responsible for Government policy on taxi and private hire vehicles.

Mr John Hayes: The Department has three officials working on taxi and private hire vehicle policy within the Buses and Taxis Division, of which one works solely on this policy area and it forms a core part of the work load of the other two. An official will shortly join the Department on secondment to work on policy development. There are no contracted workers. There are a number of other officials elsewhere in the Department who contribute to work on related policy issues including analysts, economists and statisticians, this figure is not centrally recorded.

Cycling

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) officials, (b) other staff and (c) private contractors in his Department are responsible for Government policy on cycling.

Jesse Norman: The Department’s Active and Accessible Travel team includes approximately 15 officials and 4 secondees from local authorities and other organisations who work full-time or part-time on cycling and walking policies. The team does not employ any private contractors. Around a dozen or so other officials elsewhere in the Department also work in a full-time or part-time capacity on matters relevant to cycling.

Home Office

Police

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the types of incidents police have provided an immediate response to in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17 and (c) 2017-18; and whether there has been any change in the ability of the police to respond to crimes such as burglary, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour.

Mr Nick Hurd: It is a matter for Chief Constables, working with their Police and Crime Commissioners, to manage their available resources according to local priorities.Ministers have recently written to police leaders setting out a programme of engagement to better understand the impact of changing demands on the sector and what more can be done to improve productivity and efficiency.

Cannabis: Prescription Drugs

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) the devolved administrations on making cannabis available through pharmaceuticals where use of that drug can be helpful.

Sarah Newton: Cannabis, in its raw form, has no recognised medicinal benefits in the UK. There is a clear regime in place, administered by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), to enable medicines (including those containing controlled drugs such as cannabis) to be developed, licensed and made available for medicinal use to patients in the UK. The Minister for Safeguarding, Vulnerability and Crime has recently written to and met with the Parliamentary under Secretary of State for Public Health and Primary Care to consider how to ensure cannabis-based medicines are available where appropriate. Minister of State, Baroness Williams wrote to her counterpart Lord O’Shaughnessy on the same issue earlier in September. Officials in the Home Office remain in frequent dialogue with officials of the devolved administrations on all aspects of drug policy.

Anti-social Behaviour: Motorcycles

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the rate of conviction for anti-social behaviour related to moped use was in each of the last five years.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not held by the Home Office. Anti-social behaviour is not a substantive offence in law therefore it is not possible to be convicted for anti-social behaviour. Furthermore, convictions data are the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice. Anti-social behaviour incidents recorded by the police are published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and can be found here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesbulletintables

Police: Finance

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that areas with historically low levels of crime continue to receive necessary levels of funding for local police.

Mr Nick Hurd: The 2015 Spending Review protected overall police spending in real terms. Since 2015/16 police forces have received broadly flat cash budgets and we are increasing investment in transformation, improved communications and technology capabilities Decisions on the most effective use of the Metropolitan Police’s resources are for Chief Officers and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) who are held to account by the communities they serve.

Police: Reserve Forces

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of police forces whose reserves are below the National Audit Office recommended level; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd: The National Audit Office do not set a recommended level of reserves for police forces. The level of reserves is a matter for individual Police and Crime Commissioners, who have a legal duty to set balanced annual budgets and ensure they have adequate reserves. The latest available audited financial statements from March 2016 showed that PCCs held around £1.8bn in resource reserves (up from £1.4bn in 2011) and every PCC held the equivalent of at least 6% of their annual direct resource funding in reserves.

Police and Crime Commissioners: Finance

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total budget of each police and crime commissioner was in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Mr Nick Hurd: I would refer the Hon Gentleman to the Police Grant Reports and accompanying Written Ministerial Statements which set out the core funding provided by the Home Office and are available online at the address below. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-finance

Gangs: Research

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to allocate funding from the public purse for the Economic and Social Research Council's additional research on the state of criminal gangs and their activities.

Sarah Newton: The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is a non-departmental public body (NDPB). The Government is committed to the Haldane principle, whereby funding decisions are made by independent experts and as such government departments are not in a position to intervene in that decision making process on behalf of particular projects or individuals. Research funding is awarded on a competitive basis and the decision to fund projects such as potential work on criminal gangs is taken by the ESRC following a peer review and wider commissioning process. Grant funding is very competitive, and it is not possible to fund all fundable proposals. The commissioning processes are, however, designed to ensure that all research areas are treated fairly.

Police: Greater Manchester

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with the Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner and the Mayor of Greater Manchester on the level of police resources provided to that city region.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of any correlation between changes to levels of funding for police officers and police and community support officers in (a) Greater Manchester, (b) the Stockport division and (c) the Tameside division on trends in crime statistics for the most recent period covering those areas.

Mr Nick Hurd: I recently wrote to all Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables setting out a programme of engagement to better understand the impact of changing demands on the sector and what more can be done to improve productivity and efficiency. As part of this engagement I will be speaking to the Mayor of Greater Manchester.The Government protected overall police spending in the 2015 Spending Review, and the 2017/18 police funding settlement maintains that commitment. The Greater Manchester Mayor’s direct resource funding for his Police & Crime Commissioner functions (including council tax precept) is £545.4 million in 2017/18, an increase of £4.2 million on funding levels for 2015/16. It is a matter for Chief Constables, working with their Police and Crime Commissioners, to manage their available resources according to local priorities.The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size of the police workforce at police force area level, the latest of which are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-31-march-2017

Police: Stockport

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will meet the hon. Members for Denton and Reddish and for Stockport to discuss central government police resourcing for the Stockport division.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will meet with the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish, the hon. Member for Stalybridge and Hyde and the hon. Member for Ashton under Lyne to discuss central government police resourcing to the Tameside division.

Mr Nick Hurd: Home Office Ministers have regular meetings as part of the process of policy development and delivery. I expect to engage with all Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables, including the Mayor of Greater Manchester, to discuss my programme to better understand the impact of changing demands on the sector and what more can be done to improve productivity and efficiency.I am also happy to meet with Members of Parliament to discuss local policing issues at their request.

Entry Clearances: Sheffield

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many settlement applications were processed by Sheffield Visa Section between May and August 2017.

Brandon Lewis: The specific data requested is not published by the Home Office. Published data on the numbers of visas processed within published service standards, is published online at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-operations-transparency-data-august-2017

Entry Clearances

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of entry clearance applications were processed within (a) 12 and (b) 24 weeks in each of the last 12 months.

Brandon Lewis: The specific data requested is not published by the Home Office. Published data on visa processing times, including the percentage of visas processed within published service standards, is published online at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data (then listed by publication date under ‘UK Visas & Immigration’).

Poisons: Sales

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Crime, Safeguarding and Vulnerability, to Question 8330, if she will publish guidance provided by her Department on informing online retailers how to identify suspicious transactions within the terms of the Poisons Act 1972.

Sarah Newton: As well as frequently engaging with online retailers of substances under the control of the Poisons Act 1972, guidance for both online and physical sellers can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hazardous-sites-and-substances#epp-licensing:-guidance-for-businesses

Missing Persons: Databases

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress the Government is making towards the introduction of a national missing persons register.

Sarah Newton: The Government is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council to deliver a National Register for Missing Persons (NRMP) through the Home Office National Law Enforcement Data Programme (NLEDP). The National Policing Lead for Missing Persons is currently working with the NLEDP to ensure that the NRMP will meet the needs of officers. The NRMP will be made available through the National Law Enforcement Data Service, which is expected to go live in late 2018.

Immigration

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken to make decisions on applications for further leave to remain on the basis of family and private life has been in each of the last 24 months.

Brandon Lewis: Data on processing times, including the percentage of applications processed within published service standards, is published online at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data (then listed by publication date under ‘UK Visas & Immigration’.

Humberside Police: Mental Health Services

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate her Department has made of the cost to Humberside Police Service of providing support to people with mental health needs.

Mr Nick Hurd: Information on the cost of providing support to people with mental health needs, by the police service, is an operational matter for individual police forces and is not held centrally by the Home Office.

Police Stations: Hornsey

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations she has received on the closure of Hornsey Police Station; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on the 13th September 2017, UIN 8520, 8522 and 8524.

Ending Gang Violence and Exploitation Forum

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding from the public purse her Department has made available to the Ending Gang Violence and Exploitation Forum since its creation.

Sarah Newton: In December 2016 we provided a £100,000 fund for Ending Gang Violence and Exploitation (EGVE) Forum members and we supported 11 local projects. These included projects to support work with students, providing help to parents of gang affected children, providing interventions for gang affected women and girls, and delivering messages in schools about not carrying knives. In August this year we invited bidding for a further round of EGVE funding which is open to EGVE Forum members, of which over 200 different organisations are now represented in the Forum and able to put forward a bid for funding for a specific project if they are interested. We have made up to £300,000 available.

Ending Gang Violence and Exploitation Forum

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times the Ending Gang Violence and Exploitation Forum has met since it was established; and how many representatives of (a) local authorities and (b) other public bodies were represented at each of those meetings.

Sarah Newton: The Ending Gang Violence and Exploitation Forum (EGVE) has over 200 members representing a range of organisations. The EGVE Forum has met on four occasions since July 2016 and each meeting has been attended by over 60 members. We do not hold information on the exact breakdown of representatives from each sector in attendance at each meeting. However each meeting has been attended by members from local authorities, the police, and voluntary sector.

Home Office: Redundancy Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much has been paid to (a) men and (b) women who left her Department under exit schemes since 31 March 2016.

Sarah Newton: The Home Office had a total of 110 staff that left the Department under exit schemes since 31 March 2016 to date. This was split between 59 men, at a cost of £2.8M, and 51 women at a cost of £1.98M. All Exit payments are made on the basis of length of service and final salary, which means that there is a consistent approach to the way in which exit payments are calculated.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Metals: Industry

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what representations he has received from the metals industries on the effect on that sector of the UK leaving the EU.

Claire Perry: Ministers and officials have engaged extensively on EU exit with metals companies and representative bodies across the UK. Most recently, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy discussed the trade regime post-EU exit at a meeting of the Steel Council on 7th September. We want to achieve the best possible outcome and the strongest possible partnership - one that works for UK businesses. We plan to be ambitious in these negotiations and will secure the best possible access for firms to trade with and operate in the European market.

Partnerships: Scotland

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many eligible Scottish limited partnerships failed to supply statements of Persons of Significant Control by the deadline given in the Scottish Partnerships (Register of People with Significant Control) Regulations 2017.

Margot James: Approximately 28,100 Scottish Limited Partnerships failed to supply statements of Persons of Significant Control by the deadline given in the Scottish Partnerships (Register of People with Significant Control) Regulations 2017. Companies House is taking action to secure compliance.

Partnerships: Scotland

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many eligible Scottish limited partnerships that failed to supply statements of Persons of Significant Control by the deadline are to be prosecuted in accordance with the Scottish Partnerships (Register of People with significant control) Regulations 2017.

Margot James: We will continue to seek compliance from those Scottish Limited Partnerships which appear to be still in operation. The Scottish Partnerships (Register of People with Significant Control) Regulations 2017 contain a number of offences and we are working with enforcement bodies to determine the appropriate action. Prosecution is a last resort and would be taken forward by the Procurator Fiscal.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Abdulkareem al-Hawaj

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Saudi Arabian counterpart on the case of Abdulkareem al-Hawaj.

Alistair Burt: We are aware of reports of Abdulkareem al-Hawaj's death sentence being upheld. We continue to raise our opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country, including Saudi Arabia, especially for crimes other than the most serious and for juveniles, in line with the minimum standards set out in the EU Guidelines on the Death Penalty of 2008 and the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Arab Charter on Human Rights.

Burma: Rohingya

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support discussions with Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the Commander in Chief of the Myanmar armed forces on ending the situation in Rakhine state.

Mark Field: We have not had direct discussions with the Commander in Chief. The Foreign Secretary spoke with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on 7 September. He raised our concerns about the continuing violence, the need for any allegations of human rights abuses to be investigated and for humanitarian access to be granted to affected communities. We continue to raise our concerns with the Burmese authorities.

Yemen: Joint Incidents Assessment Team

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many reports from the Joint Incident Assessment Team on operations in Yemen he has received in each of the last two months.

Alistair Burt: ​The Joint Incident Assessment Team (JIAT) did not issue any reports in July or August. On 12 September, the JIAT issued 15 reports, bringing the total number of reports it has issued to 36. The British Government welcomes the release of these reports which demonstrate the Saudi-led Coalition's continued willingness to conduct thorough, transparent and conclusive investigations into reports of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law.

Burma: Arms Trade

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether military equipment sold by the UK to Myanmar may be used by that country's armed forces in operations involving conflict with citizens of that country.

Mark Field: In line with the EU Arms Embargo the UK does not sell Burma any equipment which might be used for internal repression. Our engagement with the Burmese military has been focused on educational training, designed to instil knowledge and awareness in the military of the requirement to observe human rights and the rule of international humanitarian law. However, the Prime Minister announced the Government's decision to suspend this engagement on 19 September, sending a clear message to the Burmese military that there must be an immediate end to the violence in Rakhine and full humanitarian access allowed.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Redundancy Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much has been paid out to (a) men and (b) women who left his Department under exit schemes since 31 March 2016.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not run any exit scheme for its UK based staff in the period since 31 March 2016.

USA: Gender Recognition

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the US Administration on transgendered rights.

Sir Alan Duncan: We have not held any specific discussions on transgender rights with the US Administration. The US Administration is aware of our opposition to all forms of discrimination, and our commitment to promoting LGBT+ equality around the world.

Department for International Development

Department for International Development: Redundancy Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much has been paid to (a) men and (b) women who left her Department under exit schemes since 31 March 2016.

Rory Stewart: Details of the number, type, compensation levels and cost of exits from the Department for International Development are routinely published in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts.

Burma: Refugees

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what aid the Government is providing for refugees arriving in Bangladesh from Myanmar.

Alistair Burt: Between 2014 and 2016, DFID has provided nearly £8 million to support humanitarian assistance to Rohingya refugees and the vulnerable host communities that support them.Prior to this influx, DFID committed a further £5.9 million to meet the needs of the most vulnerable refugees and the host communities that support them.The UK has been a leader in responding to the crisis – in speed and size – mobilising an additional £30 million to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of vulnerable men, women and children in both Bangladesh and Burma.UK assistance in Bangladesh will continue to focus on the critical needs of the most vulnerable among new arrivals, and among existing refugees and host communities. We are supporting work inside and outside camps providing lifesaving assistance, including emergency shelter, food and nutrition assistance and safe water and sanitation.

International Assistance

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether and to what extent her Department has implemented its commitments made at the 2005 Paris Declaration, the 2008 Accra Agenda for Action and the 2014 Busan Declaration to align aid programmes with local priorities.

Rory Stewart: The ‎Aid Reviews, Civil Society Partnership Review and Economic Development Strategy set out the Department's high ambition on delivering effective development partnerships, including with partner countries. We continue to promote development effectiveness with our international partners, such as the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation, which has responsibility for reporting on global progress with development effectiveness commitments.‎DFID's internal guidance encourages alignment of programmes with developing countries’ own strategies for poverty reduction; and providing assistance in a way that strengthens local responsibility, capacity, accountability and leadership.

Department for International Trade: Pay

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many of her Department's staff had a pay increase (a) above, (b) at and (c) less than one per cent in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Rory Stewart: Information of the level of DFID staff’s pay increases over the last 3 years is included in the attached table. A pay deal for 2016 has not yet been concluded.



PQ 10309 table
(Word Document, 25.14 KB)

Department for Education

Domestic Violence: Education

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government plans to include domestic violence and violence against women in the schools curriculum in England and Wales.

Nick Gibb: The Department is responsible for the National Curriculum in England only.The Government is engaging directly with young people to challenge attitudes about abuse and consent. This year the Home Office launched the third phase of its campaign ‘Disrespect NoBody’, which aims to prevent the onset of domestic violence in adults by challenging attitudes and behaviour amongst teenage boys and girls, and emphasises that abuse in relationships is unacceptable. As part of the Government response to the Women and Equalities Select Committee’s report into sexual harassment and sexual violence in schools, we are considering how best to ensure pupils are taught about healthy and respectful relationships as part of Relationships Education and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE). This is an important aspect in preventing domestic violence and violence against women. We are also grant funding four organisations until the end of March 2018 to support children and families that have experienced domestic violence. Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-backs-projects-to-help-safeguard-vulnerable-children. The Children and Social Work Act 2017 requires my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, to make Relationships Education mandatory in all primary schools, and RSE mandatory in all secondary schools through regulations. The Act also provides for a power to make Personal, Social, Health, and Economic Education (PSHE), or elements therein, mandatory in all schools, subject to careful consideration. The Department will conduct a thorough engagement process on the scope and content of Relationships Education and RSE, and consideration of PSHE. We will set more details about the engagement process and the work to consider age appropriate subject content in due course.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to pages 45-46 of the Social Mobility Commission's report, Time for Change: an assessment of government policies on social mobility 1997-2017, published on 28 June 2017, what assessment she has made of the effect of incentives for teachers to maximise test scores within a narrower curriculum on opportunities for social and emotional learning which are accessible to all children.

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to pages 45-46 of the Social Mobility Commission's report, Time for Change: an assessment of government policies on social mobility 1997-2017, published on 28 June 2017, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of resources available to schools for social and emotional learning activities.

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to pages 45-46 of the Social Mobility Commission's report, Time for Change: an assessment of government policies on social mobility 1997-2017, published on 28 June 2017, what assessment she has made of the effect on social mobility of the increase in extra-curricular social and emotional activities where there is a cost attached for parents.

Nick Gibb: The best schools create a happy, safe and supportive environment, so that all children can fulfil their potential without suffering undue stress. Schools already do a range of things to promote mental health and wellbeing. Our recent nationally representative survey of school provision indicated that almost all (92%) institutions reported an ethos or environment that promoted mutual care and concern. We have supported this in a number of ways, including funding the PSHE Association to produce guidance for teaching about mental health. This Government has also taken steps to reduce examination burdens upon young people, encouraging schools to put strong pastoral support in place to help pupils deal with any worries they might have throughout the year. All state schools must offer a broad and balanced curriculum. We encourage all schools to offer Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) Education, ensuring pupils are taught about healthy and respectful relationships and the knowledge required to prepare for adult life. The Children and Social Work Act 2017 requires Relationships Education (primary) and RSE (secondary) to become mandatory in all schools, through regulations. The Act also provides a power to make PSHE, or elements therein, mandatory in all schools, subject to careful consideration. The Department for Education will conduct a thorough engagement process on the scope and content of Relationships Education and RSE, and consideration of PSHE. The Department also supports schools to provide some extra-curricular programmes outside of the classroom. This includes working with the National Citizen Service as well as a £50m investment in the Cadet Expansion Programme, both of which teach young people life skills to prepare them for successful adulthood.

Schools: Fire Extinguishers

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of regulations on sprinklers in schools.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 13 September 2017



The Government is taking the impact from the tragic Grenfell Tower fire very seriously. Building owners across the public sector estate, including schools, have been contacted to ensure any risks are managed and dealt with appropriately and promptly.All schools must have a mandatory Fire Risk Assessment and all new schools undergo an additional check while being designed. Where sprinklers are necessary to keep staff and students safe, or where they are required under a local authority planning policy, they are fitted. There is not and has never been a national requirement for sprinklers to be fitted in all new or existing schools.All schools have to follow strict fire safety regulations designed to ensure they are as safe as possible and well prepared in the event of a fire. They must have robust plans to follow, conduct regular fire drills, and typically have multiple exit routes.The Government has announced an independent review of building regulations and fire safety to be led by Dame Judith Hackitt. Alongside the rest of Government, the Department will take forward any findings from the public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire and ensure any recommendations for schools are implemented.

Schools: Finance

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she will announce per-school figures under the new National Funding Formula for (a) England and (b) Crawley; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: We announced the allocations for all schools in England under the National Funding Formula, on 14 September.Full details are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-tables-for-schools-and-high-needs.

Sportsgrounds: Eltham

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on what date the Education Skills Funding Agency determined the Red Book price of the Bowring Sports Club Ground, Eltham Road, London, SE12 8ER; on what date the purchase of that ground took place; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) received a Red Book Valuation in August 2015 for the Bowring Sports Club Ground and exchanged contracts in December 2015 subject to planning approval. The ESFA is still in the process of seeking planning approval therefore the acquisition of the site has not yet been completed.

Primary Education: Admissions

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many unfilled places there were in primary schools in 2016-17; and what proportion of the total number of school places that figure represents in each such area.

Nick Gibb: As of 1 May 2016, the total number of unfilled primary places in England was 461,065; the number of unfilled places as a percentage of total primary places was 9.7 per cent. The capacity data are published on an annual basis, giving equivalent local authority and regional totals, through the SCAP tables. Further information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-capacity-academic-year-2015-to-2016.

Relationship and Sex Education

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the Government plans to consult on statutory guidance on Relationships and Sex Education provided for in the Children and Social Work Act 2017.

Nick Gibb: The Children and Social Work Act (2017) places a duty on the Secretary of State for Education to make Relationships Education mandatory in all primary schools, and Relationships and Sex Education mandatory in all secondary schools, in England.As part of our next steps, the Department intends to conduct a thorough and wide ranging engagement on Relationships Education and Relationships and Sex Education. This will determine the content of the regulations and statutory guidance, covering subject content, school practice and quality of delivery. We will ensure the subjects are carefully designed to safeguard and support pupils whilst being deliverable for schools.The Department is fully committed to this programme of work and will set out shortly more details about the engagement process, the timetable and the work to consider age appropriate subject content.This will result in draft regulations and guidance on which we will consult. Following consultation, regulations will be laid in the House allowing for a full and considered debate.

Ministry of Justice

Domestic Violence: Court Orders

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans to review the penalties for breach of a restraining order where that order was issued following proven domestic violence.

Dominic Raab: The maximum penalty for breach of a restraining order is 5 years in prison. There are no current plans to increase this though we are determined to do more to tackle Domestic Abuse more broadly as set out in the Queen’s Speech.

Rape: Prosecutions

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average length of time was from (a) offence to charge, (b) listing to magistrates' court completion, (c) charge to listing, (d) listing to Crown Court hearing and (e) Crown Court hearing to completion for cases of alleged rape under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in each Crown Court in England and Wales in each year since 2009-10.

Dominic Raab: The average length of time by stage for rape offences completed in each Crown Court in England and Wales 2011-2016 is shown in the attached table. Timeliness data for 2009-10 are not available.Table 1 - Mean number of days taken from offence to completion for rape cases completed in the Crown Court in England and Wales by Crown Court, 2011-2016.



Table 1
(Excel SpreadSheet, 93 KB)

Small Claims: Personal Injury

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has plans to bring forward legislative proposals to increase the small claims limit for road traffic accident-related personal injury claims to £5,000 and to increase the small claims limit for all other personal injury claims to £2,000.

Dominic Raab: On 23 February 2017 the Government published details of reforms relating to road traffic accident-related personal injury claims in its response to the ‘Reforming the Soft Tissue Injury (‘whiplash’) Claims Process consultation - https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/reforming-soft-tissue-injury-claims/, which sets out reforms to increase the small claims track limit for road traffic accident related personal injury claims to £5,000, and for all other personal injury claims to £2,000.

Elections: ICT

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of an electronic system for the delivery, receipt and return of the Writ at UK parliamentary elections.

Dominic Raab: There are no immediate plans to do so. The process for serving election Writs is set out in the Representation of the People Act 1983. However, the Government continues to work with the Law Commissions, as well as other stakeholders such as the Electoral Commission, to streamline the electoral process.

Personal Independence Payment: North Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reasons there is an average waiting time of 34 weeks for a personal independence appeal date in North Wales; and what the longest time is for which a person has had to wait for such a date.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps are being taken to address the shortage of panel members needed for personal independence appeals in the North Wales area.

Dominic Raab: The average waiting time for a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) appeal date in North Wales is not 34 weeks. That is the average clearance time for such appeals in the latest period for which data are available (April to June 2017). The average clearance time is the time taken from appeal receipt to final outcome and may include cases which have more than one hearing. PIP appeals are complex and could be adjourned for further evidence, or case management. Appeals may also have been heard by the First-tier Tribunal (F-tT), appealed to the Upper Tribunal, and subsequently re-heard by the F-tT, time which would then be included in average waiting times for the F-tT. Data are not collected on the time that an appeal takes to get to first hearing. As such it is not possible to identify which case took the longest to get there. Over 350 judicial officer holders are being recruited to provide long term capacity in the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal including Wales.

Criminal Injuries Compensation: Sexual Offences

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many victims of sexual abuse have been refused compensation by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority since 1996 because they (a) had a criminal conviction related to the coercion aspect of the grooming process and (b) lived in the same household as their abuser and the abuse was committed prior to 1979.

Dominic Raab: The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) does not hold information about how many victims of sexual abuse have been refused compensation since 1996 because they had a criminal conviction related to the coercion aspect of the grooming process.It has only been mandatory for applicants to provide an indication of the type of incident for which they are claiming compensation since 1 January 2015. Since that date, 180 applications from victims of sexual abuse have been refused compensation by CICA as a result of the non-discretionary Scheme rule that excludes compensation in circumstances where the criminal injury was sustained before 1 October 1979 and, at the time of the incident, the applicant and assailant were living together as members of the same family.

Reoffenders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders received one fixed-term recall in the last year for which information is available; and what the (a) violence against the person and (b) other offence category was relating to each of those recalls.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders received more than one fixed-term recall in the last year for which information is available; and what the (a) violence against the person and (b) other offence category was relating to each of those recalls.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of recalls to prison were fixed-term in each of the last two years for which information is available.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many previous convictions each offender had who received more than one fixed-term recall in the latest year for which information is available.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Number of offenders who received one fixed-term recall during 2016, by offence type; England & Wales   2016  Total6,073  Offence type: Violence Against the Person585Other5,488   Number of offenders who received more than one fixed-term recall during 2016, by offence type; England & Wales   2016  Total790  Offence type: Violence Against the Person40Other750   Fixed-term recalls as a proportion of all recalls, 2015 and 2016; England & Wales20152016   Total recalls21,46721,559   Of which:  Fixed-term8,2946,988As a percentage of total39%32% The figures in these tables have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.  Whilst information on previous convictions of offenders who receive a fixed term recall is held, to produce the number of convictions for those who had received more than one fixed term recall could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Justice: Fringe Benefits

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff in his Department and non-departmental public bodies received (a) home to work travel allowance, (b) a car allowance and (c) subsidised health insurance in the last 12 months.

Dominic Raab: Within the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and its non-departmental public bodies: a) 1,536 staff are in receipt of Excess Fares Allowance; b) 51 staff are in receipt of High Mileage Allowance; and c) There are currently 0 staff in receipt of subsidised healthcare benefits.The MoJ, including HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) pay an Excess Fares Allowance in respect of home to work travel in exceptional cases where staff incur additional travel expenses and/or do not qualify for removal expenses or choose to move home when they are permanently and compulsorily transferred to a new location. This is normally payable for a maximum of three years. The cost of home to office travel is reimbursed in limited cases such as where staff are required to work late night and public transport is no longer available; where an employee is on a posting term such as Dual Workplace (travel costs being reimbursed from home to the additional permanent workplace only); and where staff are on long term detached duty over 2 years.MoJ excluding HMPPS pays a High Mileage Allowance to reimburse staff who undertake over 5,000 miles for official duties in their own car per year. The value is linked to motoring costs and the number of staff in receipt of this allowance has reduced significantly from 303 to 51.MoJ and HMPPS do not provide subsidised health insurance to staff. Staff may however choose to buy membership of Civil Service originated healthcare organisations such as Benenden out of post taxed income.It has not been possible to provide the information from the Youth Justice Board in the time allowed. I will write to the honourable member in due course providing the requested information.

Prisoners' Release

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what offences were committed by each prisoner released from prison on temporary licence to work in the last 12 months.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Public protection is our priority. All offenders must meet strict criteria and pass a full-risk assessment before being considered for Release on temporary licence (ROTL). ROTL is used to prepare prisoners for their eventual release from custody and helps with finding work and stable accommodation, and to build and maintain family ties, all of which helps reduce reoffending. The table below shows the principal offence for which prisoners were serving a sentence while released on ROTL for work purposes in the last 12 months for which data is available.Table 1: Individuals released on temporary licence for work related purposes by offence group, April 2016 - March 2017, England and Wales  Offence GroupNumber Violence against the person578 Sexual offences6 Robbery164 Theft Offences198 Criminal damage and arson27 Drug offences728 Possession of weapons71 Miscellaneous crimes against society98 Fraud Offences165 Summary Non-Motoring10 Offence not recorded3 Total2,048  Data sources and quality  The figures in these tables have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisoners' Release

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many serving prisoners were not in prison accommodation overnight on New Year's Eve 2015; what offences were committed by each such offender; and how many such offences were in which category of violent offences against the person.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Public protection is our priority. All offenders must meet strict criteria and pass a full-risk assessment before being considered for release on temporary licence (ROTL). ROTL is used to prepare prisoners for their eventual release from custody and helps with finding work and stable accommodation, and to build and maintain family ties, all of which helps reduce reoffending. Records indicate that, on 31 December 2015, 80 prisoners were in the community having been released overnight on ROTL. The table below shows the principal offence for which these prisoners were serving a sentence by offence category and, within the “violence against the person” category, by offence. Table: Prisoners on overnight temporary release on 31 December 2015, England & WalesNumberPercentage of total number releasedPrisoners on overnight temporary release on 31 December 201580100%   Violence against the person1924%Murder810%Attempted murder*-Kidnapping*-Manslaughter*-Causing death or serious injury by dangerous driving*-Causing death by careless driving under influence of drink or drugs*-Assault with intent to cause serious harm45%Endangering life*-Sexual offences34%Robbery68%Theft offences68%Drug offences3544%Possession of weapons34%Miscellaneous crimes against society34%Fraud offences56%  An asterisk (*) has been used to suppress values of two or less. This is to prevent the disclosure of individual information. Further disclosure control may be completed where this alone is not sufficient.   Data sources and quality  The figures in these tables have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Ministry of Defence

Defence Equipment: Trade Fairs

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department attended the Defence and Security Equipment International Fair from 11 to 15 September 2017.

Harriett Baldwin: All Defence Ministers attended the DSEI exhibition on at least one occasion between 11 September and 15 September 2017 meeting invited overseas official delegations and engaging with UK and international exhibitors. The exhibition was also attended by officials from the Department but information detailing their exact numbers and composition is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Burma: Military Aid

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the recent violence against the Rohingya minority in Rakhine State, if he will review the merits of continuing to provide UK military training to Myanmar's armed forces.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: In light of the ongoing violence in Burma's Rakhine State and the growing humanitarian crisis it has caused, the UK Ministry of Defence has decided to suspend all practical defence engagement with Burma, and all ongoing educational training has been suspended with immediate effect.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 28 June 2016 to Question HL728 and pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 8078, for what reasons the date forecast for Watchkeeper to achieve full operating capability has changed; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: Initial Operating Capability for Watchkeeper was met in August 2014 and it was then deployed on operations in Afghanistan. Watchkeeper is a first-of-type capability for Defence and therefore the programme has evolved as regulatory and technical requirements for both aircraft and pilots have been fully understood.Two incidents involving Watchkeeper aircraft earlier this year also resulted in a temporary pause in flying which inevitably had an impact on the programme. Full operating capability is currently forecast to be achieved in 2018.

Department for Work and Pensions

Employment and Support Allowance

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of sanctioning employment and support allowance claimants on assisting such people into work; and if he will undertake to review the use of sanctions on such claimants.

Penny Mordaunt: Sanctions are only used in a minority of cases. For Employment and Support Allowance claimants the proportion of those sanctioned each month on average is 0.6% (based on the last year). ESA claimants are able to apply for hardship payments from the first day of a sanction. If the application is successful they will receive the payment from day 1 of the sanction. To keep the sanctions system clear, fair and effective in promoting positive behaviours, we keep the operation of the conditionality and sanction policies and processes under continuous review. Where we identify an issue, we act to put it right.However, the use of conditionality and sanctions is only part of the story and cannot be seen in isolation to the work we are doing to continually improve the support we offer. The government continues to invest in trials, proofs of concept and feasibility studies to test ways to provide specialist support for people with health conditions, including those with mental health problems, and ensure that we are providing access to the most effective health and employment support when it is needed. Next steps for longer-term reform will be set out in the autumn in response to the Improving Lives: The Work, Health and Disability Green Paper.

Disability

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress has been made on working with providers of (a) energy, (b) telecoms and (c) other essential services on reducing the extra costs that disability can incur.

Penny Mordaunt: A Social Tariff is provided by BT (and KCom in Hull) in relation to telecommunications for those on particular benefits including disabled people. With regard to energy, a cap on the prices energy suppliers can charge customers on pre-payment meters, many of whom are disabled people and/or on low incomes, came into effect on 1 April 2017. The price cap covers around 4.5m households, saving many dual fuel customers £70 a year In addition, my colleague the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has written to Ofgem asking the regulator to advise what action it intends to take to safeguard customers on the poorest value tariffs. Ofgem is committed to helping the more disadvantaged in society and has launched work on measures to protect and empower vulnerable energy consumers. This work includes considering extending the current safeguard tariff in place for consumers on pre-payment meters. To support disabled and other people when asking work coaches in Jobcentres for advice on budgeting and saving money, DWP has prepared ‘Need help managing your money?’ a factsheet which has a section on household bills. It explains you should get in touch with your supplier if you’re having difficulty paying bills or to find out if they offer a cheaper tariff. It signposts to the Money Advice Service for further information on how to save money on household bills, including switching supplier. The factsheet also covers budgeting information, basic bank accounts and the basic phone and broadband packages mentioned above.

Jobcentres: Glasgow

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 7645, if he will make it his policy that no compulsory redundancies will occur at any point in time as a result of the planned closure of Parkhead Jobcentre.

Damian Hinds: I refer the Honourable Member to my reply to Question 7645 on 11 September 2017.

Jobcentres: Glasgow

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 7646, if he will make it his policy that no compulsory redundancies will occur at any point in time as a result of the planned closure of the Easterhouse Jobcentre.

Damian Hinds: I refer the Honourable Member to my reply to Question 7646 on 11 September 2017.

Jobcentres: Glasgow

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 8086, if he will make it his policy to collect data on the number of people using the food bank signposting services at (a) Easterhouse, (b) Parkhead and (c) Shettleston jobcentres.

Damian Hinds: The Department has no plans to introduce a policy of collecting data on the number of claimants using food bank signposting services.

Personal Independence Payment: Yorkshire and the Humber

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in (a) Hull and (b) East Riding of Yorkshire have appealed against his Department's decision not to grant them personal independence payments in each of the last five years; and how many of those appeals have been successful in those years.

Penny Mordaunt: The tables below show the number of appeals lodged against Personal Independence Payment claims which were disallowed at initial decision and where this decision was upheld at mandatory reconsideration, the number of these appeals where a decision has been made and the number of these appeals that were subsequently successful for the appellant, for Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire over the last five years. a) Hull Year of appeal lodgementNumber of appeals lodgedNumber of appeals with a decisionNumber of successful appeals (for the appellant)2013###2014806040201528026018020163903502402017 (to July’17)34011070Total1,090830520*Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.**‘#‘used for instances where there are less than 5 cases. b) East Riding of Yorkshire Year of appeal lodgementNumber of appeals lodgedNumber of appeals with a decisionNumber of successful appeals (for the appellant)2013###2014404020201518017010020162502301602017 (to July’17)2109060Total680560330*Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.**‘#‘used for instances where there are less than 5 cases.

Personal Independence Payment: Yorkshire and the Humber

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claims for personal independence payment in (a) Hull and (b) East Riding have been due to a mental health illness in each of the last five years.

Penny Mordaunt: The requested information for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) applications is not available as information on PIP claimants’ disabling conditions is not collected at the initial claim application stage. Only those who have a disability assessment determination decision will have a primary disabling condition recorded for them. The Department does not therefore hold data on the number of individuals with a particular condition who make a claim for PIP. The latest available data on PIP claims in payment, including by main disabling condition and geography (e.g. local authority), are published on Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk. To filter for mental health illness, select ‘Psychiatric Disorders’ from the Disability menu on the left. Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html. These data relate to the claimant’s main disabling condition. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions, but these cannot be identified from the data the department holds. Therefore there may be other claimants in receipt of PIP who have been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder who are not captured in the above data.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Temporary Employment

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) freelance and (b) temporary staff were employed by his Department in each of the last five financial years.

George Eustice: Freelance – The Department has not employed any freelance workers in the last five financial years. Temporary Staff – see below for a breakdown of temporary staff numbers for both suppliers with whom the Department has held contracts with during the last five years. Defra uses a Contingent Labour ONE contract derived from a Crown Commercial Service Framework to provide temporary staff. Any other individual contracts other than this Crown Commercial Service framework contract for temporary staff are not included below, as this information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.Financial YearNo of EmployeesApr 13 – Mar 14108Note: From Nov 13Apr 14 - Mar 15843Apr 15 - Mar 161246Apr 16 - Mar 171257Apr 17 - Mar 18854Note: Up to Aug 17

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Temporary Employment

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) freelance and (b) temporary staff were employed by his Department in each of the last 12 months.

George Eustice: Freelance – The Department has not employed any freelance workers in the last five 12 monthsTemporary Staff – see below for a breakdown of temporary staff numbers for both contracted suppliers. Defra uses a Contingent Labour ONE contract derived from a Crown Commercial Service Framework to provide temporary staff. Any other individual contracts other than this Crown Commercial Service framework contract for temporary staff are not included below, as this information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.  YearMonthNumber in month2016September4772016October5132016November5722016December5332017January5362017February5732017March5792017April5262017May5262017June5552017July5862017August614

Meat: Wales

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the Welsh red meat sector of the UK leaving the (a) single market and (b) customs union.

George Eustice: Leaving the EU presents a major opportunity for UK agriculture and we are working towards achieving the best possible deal for the agricultural industry across the UK. We want to secure a deep and comprehensive Free-Trade Agreement as an alternative to membership of the single market, which preserves our access to EU markets for red meat and all agricultural products. We are conducting rigorous analysis of various trade scenarios on UK food producers and consumers. This ongoing analysis is helping to develop a detailed understanding of how withdrawing from the EU will impact on the UK to best inform Government policy going forward.

Food: Origin Marking

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what products in the UK have protected geographical indication; and what steps he is taking to guarantee that status after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: There are currently 84 UK products with geographical indication protection, including food products, wine, beers, ciders, spirit drinks and wool. A full list can be found on the protected food name scheme page on gov.uk. As we leave the EU, the UK will continue to abide by World Trade Organisation rules on the protection of geographical indications, and we will prioritise continued protection of the best of our UK food and drink. Countries outside the EU are already able to participate in the EU's geographical indication schemes when selling onto the EU market. In addition, the EU rules that currently govern the enforcement of geographical indications will be placed on a UK legal basis through the EU Withdrawal Bill.

Livestock: Cairnryan

Mr Alister Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate has been made of the quantity of livestock transported through the port of Cairnryan.

George Eustice: The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) does not hold data on all consignments and quantities of livestock transported through the port of Cairnryan. APHA only holds data for export consignments where a Journey Log was required that listed Cairnryan as the exit port from Great Britain. During 2017, 183 Journey Logs have been received by APHA listing Cairnryan as the exit port from Great Britain. 10,128 animals were exported in the 183 export consignments.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Redundancy Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much has been paid to (a) men and (b) women who left his Department under exit schemes since 31 March 2016.

George Eustice: 19 employees left Defra under exit schemes between 1 April 2016 and 31 August 2017. Defra has paid out the following amounts.   Men – £877,319.17 to 12 employees.Women – £486,000.70 to 7 employees.

Pollinators: Monitoring

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Government's National Pollinator Strategy, published in November 2014, what progress has been made on developing a pollinator indicator under the planned Biodiversity 2020 monitoring strategy.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to page 32 of the National Pollinator Strategy, published by his Department in November 2014, what progress has been made on extending the monitoring and evaluation framework for nature improvement areas to include pollinators.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The National Pollinator Strategy was launched in November 2014 and included commitments on measuring progress by developing an indicator on the status of pollinators and by evaluating Nature Improvement Areas (NIAs) and agri-environment schemes. Defra has developed an indicator of the status of pollinating insects in partnership with the research community and the voluntary sector. The indicator was first published in 2014 and integrated into the suite of 24 indicators used to track progress with Biodiversity 2020: our Strategy for England’s Wildlife and Ecosystem Services. The indicator summarises trends for almost 400 pollinating insect species and was last published on3 August (www.gov.uk/government/statistics/england-biodiversity-indicators). It shows that the overall status of pollinating insects has declined since 1980. There are, however, early indications that this trend may have stabilised in recent years. We will continue to take action for pollinators as set out in our Pollinator Strategy and encourage others to do the same through our Bees’ Needs campaign. The monitoring and evaluation framework for NIAs was updated in 2014 and included two voluntary indicators on population of threatened or widespread species, including a number of pollinating insects. A report on monitoring and evaluation of NIAs was published in 2015 (www.gov.uk/government/publications/nature-improvement-areas-improved-ecological-networks/nature-improvement-areas-about-the-programme). This found no significant change in any of the species indicators in the NIAs over the short period involved. Collectively, however, the 12 NIAs secured beneficial management on over 13,500 ha of important wildlife habitats and put in place action to create 4,500 ha of new habitats, primarily species rich grasslands and heathland which will provide important sources of pollen and nectar for pollinating insects. For agri-environment schemes, Natural England has a contract in place with the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and the British Trust for Ornithology to provide a landscape-scale evaluation of the impact of Countryside Stewardship in England on mobile species, including pollinators. Initial findings are expected in 2018. Since 2015, we have initiated a pollinator monitoring and research partnership with the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, to strengthen pollinator monitoring across Great Britain and improve our capacity to understand trends in pollination services. Details of the partnership are available on the external Centre for Ecology and Hydrology website.

UK Trade with EU

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect on domestic retail prices of (a) beef, (b) sheep, (c) wheat, (d) dairy and (e) poultry of the UK not signing a free trade agreement with the EU.

George Eustice: We are conducting rigorous analysis of various trade scenarios on UK consumers and food producers. This ongoing analysis is helping to develop a detailed understanding of how withdrawing from the EU will impact on the UK to best inform Government policy going forward. On leaving the EU, the UK will have an independent trade policy and in the event of not signing a free trade agreement with the EU, the effect on domestic food prices will depend on the future trade policy of the UK Government.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Fire Regulations

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2017 to Question HL374, whether an assessment has been made of the extent to which his Department's Approved Document B is effective as a means by which the functional requirements of fire safety may be met.

Alok Sharma: The Government will consider this issue in light of the Independent Review on Building Regulations and Fire Safety, the findings of the Public Inquiry and on going work to review building safety.

Housing: Standards

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to page 18 of the Social Mobility Commission Report, Time for Change: an assessment of government policies on social mobility 1997-2017, what assessment he has made of the effect of poor housing conditions on social mobility.

Mr Marcus Jones: Tackling social mobility is at the heart of the Government’s ambition to make Britain a country that works for everyone. All homes should be of a reasonable standard and everyone should have a safe place to live. In rented housing, the Government is committed to ensuring tenants enjoy decent standards and receive a service which represents value for money for their rent. Local authorities have strong and effective powers to deal with poor quality, unsafe accommodation.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 24 July 2017 to Question 4834, how many of the cladding samples that have been tested would not meet the Department's stated view to meet the Building Regulations requirement.

Alok Sharma: Consolidated advice published on 5 September 2017 sets out the results of Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding screening tests and the seven large scale system tests conducted over the summer:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-safety-programme-update-and-consolidated-advice-for-building-owners-following-large-scale-testing

Social Rented Housing

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many new (a) local authority social lettings and (b) registered social landlord lettings in England were taken up by (i) UK nationals, (ii) EU nationals and (iii) non-EU nationals in (A) 2015-16 and (B) 2016-17.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is available for 2015/16 from table 3d of the latest National Statistics publication on Social Housing Lettings, based on information collected via CORE (Continuous Recording of Social Housing Lettings and Sales). Information for 2016/17 is expected to be published in Autumn 2017.Link to the National Statistics release:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/social-housing-lettings-in-england-april-2015-to-march-2016

Council Housing: Standards

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to improve the building standards of older council stock properties.

Alok Sharma: It is the responsibility of the local authority as the building owner to ensure that council housing meets relevant standards. The Government has set up a building safety programme to respond to building safety issues which have emerged following the Grenfell Tower fire.

Grenfell Tower Inquiry

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Prime Minister's letter relating to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry of 15 August 2017 to the right hon. Sir Martin Moore-Bick, how much time has been allocated for the Housing Minister to meet and hear from as many social housing tenants as possible; how long that exercise will last for; and how findings from that exercise will be reported.

Alok Sharma: I have met with representatives of national tenant organisations to seek their views on this process and a programme of events is currently been drawn up so I can personally meet and hear from as many social tenants both in the immediate area around Grenfell Tower but also across the country.

Letting Agents: Fees and Charges

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to publish the Draft Tenants Fees Bill.

Alok Sharma: We plan to publish the Draft Tenants Fees Bill shortly.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of private high-rise residential blocks that have one of the four types of cladding and insulation combinations assessed as non-compliant with building regulations guidance BR135 by local authority area.

Alok Sharma: On 5 September 2017, we published consolidated advice for building owners following large-scale testing which can be viewed here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-safety-programme-update-and-consolidated-advice-for-building-owners-following-large-scale-testingThe results include private accommodation in two categories: private residential and private student residential.The Secretary of State has urged all private owners of similar blocks to submit samples of cladding for testing. He has also asked local authorities to ensure that residents of private sector buildings are safe and has asked them to collect the data on these buildings so that we have a complete picture of the private sector.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many social housing blocks have failed the recent fire safety tests co-ordinated by his Department in each local authority area.

Alok Sharma: Following the completion of the large-scale system tests, we have published consolidated advice to building owners which contains a summary of the numbers of initial screening tests which have been completed to date by the Building Research Establishment:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-safety-programme-update-and-consolidated-advice-for-building-owners-following-large-scale-testingWhere social housing buildings fail the tests, local authorities in England are informing the relevant constituency MP.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the letter to residents following the Grenfell Tower fire of 5 September 2017, if he will set out how the process by which former Grenfell Tower residents bid for new housing ensures that former residents do not bid against each other.

Alok Sharma: The selection and matching process allows residents to express a preference for available units of permanent accommodation on the Choice Based Lettings online portal managed by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council (RBKC). A matching process will then take place on the basis of the RBKC allocations policy, which is set out in “The Housing Commitment to Residents who lived in Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk” https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/sites/default/files/atoms/files/The%20housing%20commitment%20to%20residents%20%E2%80%93%20FAQ.pdf.

Affordable Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many Homes and Communities Agency-funded affordable homes, by tenure, were (a) started and (b) completed in each financial year since 2008-09 in (i) Bromsgrove, (ii) Reading and (iii) Windsor and Maidenhead local authority areas.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 14 September 2017



The numbers of additional affordable dwellings provided in local authorities across England since 1997 is published in live table 1008C available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply

Housing: Overseas Students

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of the potential underestimation of student emigration in the International Passenger Survey on the ability of local authorities to assess housing needs accurately.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 14 September 2017



To support local authorities to assess local housing needs the Government is consulting on a new standardised approach which will provide a transparent and consistent basis for the preparation of local plans. Our consultation Planning for the right homes in the right places was published on 14 September and will run for 8 weeks until 9 November. Our approach uses the 2014-based household projections which represent the best, evidence based, understanding of future household formation.The UK’s official migration statistics are produced independently by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Social Rented Housing: Sales

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to publish Social housing sales in England 2016 to 2017.

Alok Sharma: Publication dates for the Department's statistics are shown in the Statistics Release calendar, which is to be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements?utf8=%E2%9C%93&organisations%5B%5D=department-for-communities-and-local-government

Affordable Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to publish the Affordable Housing Starts and Completions: England, April 2017 to September 2017 (Update of Live Table 1012).

Alok Sharma: Publication dates for the Department's statistics are shown in the Statistics Release calendar, which is to be found at :https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements?utf8=%E2%9C%93&organisations%5B%5D=department-for-communities-and-local-government

HM Treasury

Mining: Pensions

Chris Williamson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department has received from the Mineworkers Pension Scheme and the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme since 1994.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government has received £3,356.3m from the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme and £3,119m from the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme since 1994.

Universities: EU Grants and Loans

Stephen Gethins: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to ensure that universities with European Investment Bank loans are not affected by changes in the legal terms of their loans as a result of the UK leaving the EU.

Stephen Barclay: Contracts signed between the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group and UK counterparties are matters for the parties. They do not contain any provisions relating to the departure of a member state from the EU. The UK is in the process of negotiating what its future relationship with the EIB will be, but the government is clear that the UK’s exit from the EU on its own does not change existing EIB Group contracts with UK counterparties.

Universities: Finance

Stephen Gethins: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of whether there will be any gap in funding for UK universities during the transition from EU structural and investment funds to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government made a manifesto commitment to use the EU structural and investment fund money returning to the UK after the UK leaves the EU to create a UK Shared Prosperity Fund. In October 2016 the Chancellor confirmed that HMT would guarantee funding for all multi-year ESIF projects signed ahead of the point at which the UK leaves the EU. Funding will be honoured provided that the relevant government department considers the project to provide good value for money and be in line with domestic strategic priorities.

Balance of Payments

Philip Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to reduce the balance of payments deficit; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Barclay: The current account deficit has widened due to a worsening in investment income, as returns on investments in the UK have been higher than the income earned by the UK on investment abroad. As the world economy recovers the current account deficit should narrow, in line with the Office for Budget Responsibility’s forecast of -2.0% of GDP in 2021. The Government is supporting exports through UK Export Finance which has provided £14bn in support for UK exporters in the last five years and the Department for International Trade helping over 2,800 businesses who are new to exporting.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Foreign Investment in UK

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Trade in the Westminster Hall debate of 12 September 2017, on foreign direct investment, what plans he has to maintain regulatory equivalence with key markets.

Mr Robin Walker: The UK Government is committed to making the UK the best place in the world to do business. As the Prime Minister set out in the White paper "The United Kingdom’s Exit from and new partnership with the European Union", this will mean fostering a high quality, stable and predictable regulatory environment. We want to minimise the regulatory and market access barriers for both goods and services in trade with the EU. Discussions on regulatory equivalence will form part of the negotiations.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements: South Korea

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what plans the Government has to renegotiate the terms of the EU-South Korea trade deal in the event that it is transferred to the UK after the UK leaves the EU.

Greg Hands: The UK Government is committed to seeking continuity in its current trade and investment relationships, including those covered by EU free trade agreements or other EU preferential arrangements. The UK-Korea Trade Working Group, which was established in December 2016, will discuss tackling barriers to trade and investment, wider global trade issues and how to ensure continuity for businesses, as well as exploring future trade opportunities following the UK’s exit from the EU.

Trade Agreements: South Korea

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what representations his Department has received from industry on renegotiating the terms of the EU's trade deal with South Korea before its terms are transferred to the UK after the UK leaves the EU.

Greg Hands: The Department engages widely with businesses, representative bodies, civil society, and other stakeholders, and will continue to do so as it works with trading partners to seek continuity in current trade and investment relationships.

Trade Agreements: South Korea

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential economic effect of transferring the terms of the EU-South Korea trade deal to the UK after the UK leaves the EU without renegotiating those terms.

Greg Hands: Total trade between the UK and South Korea in goods and services has increased to approximately £11bn in 2015, from £6bn in 2010 when the EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement was signed. The UK Government is committed to seeking continuity in its current trade and investment relationships, including those covered by EU free trade agreements or other EU preferential arrangements. SourcesData has been extracted from the latest release of the ONS Pink Book 2016, available here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/releases/unitedkingdombalanceofpaymentsthepinkbook2016

Trade Agreements

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what representations the Government has made to countries with trade deals with the EU on renegotiating the terms of those deals for trade with the UK after the UK leaves the EU.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what representations the Government has made to countries with trade deals with the EU about applying the terms of those deals to UK trade after the UK leaves the EU.

Greg Hands: The UK Government is committed to seeking continuity in its current trade and investment relationships, including those covered by EU Free Trade Agreements or other EU preferential arrangements. Our objective is to provide continuity for UK businesses as we leave the European Union.

Arms Trade: Trade Fairs

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what support the Government is providing to the DSEI arms exhibition in London from 12 to 15 September 2017; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Garnier: The Government provides a range of support to Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI), including the provision of military assets. The Department for International Trade’s (DIT) Defence and Security Organisation invites a number of international delegates on behalf of the Government, including overseas Ministers and senior Government officials and military staff. All invitations to overseas delegations follow a stringent process of scrutiny and approval involving both DIT and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Arms Trade: Trade Fairs

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, which Government ministers visited the DSEI arms exhibition in London from 12 to 15 September 2017.

Mark Garnier: The following Government Ministers have visited Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI):Secretary of State for Defence, The Rt Hon Sir Michael Fallon MPMinister of State for the Armed Forces, Mark Lancaster TD MPMinister for Defence Procurement, Harriet Baldwin MPMinister for Defence, People and Veterans, The Rt Hon Tobias Ellwood MPMinister of State for Defence, The Rt Hon Earl HoweSecretary of State for International Trade, The Rt Hon Dr Liam Fox MPMinister of State for Trade Policy, The Rt Hon Greg Hands MPFirst Secretary of State, The Rt Hon Damian Green MPSecretary of State for Wales, The Rt Hon Alun Cairns MPMinister of State for Security Ben Wallace MPParliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Lord Prior of BramptonParliamentary Under Secretary of State for Aviation, International and Security, Lord Callanan.

Foreign Investment in UK

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Trade in the Westminster Hall debate of 12 September 2017, on foreign direct investment, what steps he plans to take to encourage investment in the (a) devolved nations and (b) regions.

Mark Garnier: The Department for International Trade (DIT) promotes trade and investment across all parts of the UK through our overseas network, international events programme, bespoke sector support, online services and regional teams. DIT follows the “UK first” approach, which means we support investors to make or expand their investments in the UK, but do not prioritise certain places or regions within the UK above others.

UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2017 to Question 8329, on the UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation, how decisions are made on which countries should be designated as core or priority markets.

Mark Garnier: The Department for International Trade (DIT) undertakes an annual exercise to assess where it can best focus its resource to help UK exporters. DIT’s Defence and Security Organisation (DSO) consults with an extensive overseas network, other government departments and industry organisations to understand the international export opportunities available to UK companies, and to judge which markets present the most significant defence and security export opportunities.

Department for International Trade: Pay

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many of his Department's staff had a pay increase (a) above, (b) at and (c) less than one per cent since his Department's creation.

Greg Hands: The Department for International Trade (DIT) became a legal entity and an employer in its own right on 9th November 2016. The first pay award by DIT is for the 2016/17 financial year and the award for grades below SCS (Senior Civil Servants) has not yet been finalised. The overall pay increase for SCS staff for 2016/2017 was 1% in line with Cabinet Office and Treasury guidelines.

Foreign Investment in UK: Manufacturing Industries

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Trade in the Westminster Hall debate of 12 September 2017, on foreign direct investment, when the decisions were announced on foreign direct investment by the car manufacturers to which the Minister referred.

Mark Garnier: Investment decisions by BMW, Toyota and Nissan were announced as follows:On 25 July 2017, BMW announced that a fully electric version of the Mini will be built at the Cowley plant in Oxford. On 16 March 2017 Toyota Motor Europe announced that it is investing £240 million to upgrade its car plant in Burnaston, Derbyshire. On 27 October 2016 Nissan announced it would build the next models of the Qashqai and the X-Trail at its Sunderland plant.

Foreign Investment in UK

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Trade in the Westminster Hall debate of 12 September 2017, on foreign direct investment, what plans he has to prioritise certain industry sectors.

Mark Garnier: The Department for International Trade prioritises attracting Foreign Direct Investment where it has the most potential to add value to the UK economy.This year, we have targeted our global network across a broad range of technology-driven business sectors, based on the opportunity identified in specific overseas markets to bring high value investment into the UK to establish new, or expand existing operations.The sectors, based on their strategic importance to the UK economy, include Advanced Engineering, Automotive, Aerospace, Bio-economy, Energy, Technology, Creative, Financial services, Life Science, and Infrastructure.

Foreign Investment in UK

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Trade in the Westminster Hall debate of 12 September 2017, on foreign direct investment, what plans he has to enable foreign investors to operate within (a) global and (b) intra-EU supply chains; and what assessment he has made of the effect of Roles of Origin regulations on the ability of such investors to operate in the UK.

Greg Hands: The UK welcomes foreign investors, and we lead in Europe on foreign direct investment. The Department for International Trade is working closely with counterparts across a wide range of markets in order to promote the UK as a great place to do business, and the UK Government is seeking a bold and ambitious Free Trade Agreement with the EU.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Commonwealth: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to uphold the commitment it made at the 9th Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting outlined in point 12 of the Final Communiqué to adopt universal social protection for young people as recommended in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Tracey Crouch: The Government is committed to building a country where no one and no community is left behind. This includes taking action that will make a meaningful difference to the lives of the most disadvantaged young people and their families. The Government has repealed the income-related targets set out in the Child Poverty Act 2010 and replaced them with statutory measures which drive action on parental worklessness and children’s educational attainment – the two areas that we know can make the biggest difference to disadvantaged young people, now and in the future.

Travel Agents: Internet

Steve Double: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that online travel agents do not charge commission on the full VAT inclusive bill for bookings taken online.

John Glen: DCMS is not taking any steps to ensure that online travel agents do not charge commission on the full VAT inclusive bill for bookings taken online.

Travel Agents: Internet

Steve Double: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of online travel agents charging commission on the full VAT inclusive bill for bookings taken online on hospitality SMEs in rural and deprived areas.

John Glen: DCMS has not conducted an assessment of the effect of online travel agents charging commission on the full VAT inclusive bill for bookings taken online on hospitality SMEs in rural and deprived areas.